Authority
by chocolate3271
Summary: During the summer months Professors at Hogwarts are being attack for someone who goes by Authority. Can the professors stop them before someone loses their life?
1. Sunset

Sybil Trelawney was having an evening cup of tea while she watch the sun go down. The balcony on her tower over looked the Quidditch pitch and had the perfect view of the sun disappearing behind the horizon. On the Quidditch pitch Madam Hooch was having an evening fly on her broom. During the summer months while the grounds were empty of students the teachers had complete peace. All the teachers had something they liked to do to pass the time. Flitwick liked to play chess against no one in particular. McGonagall enjoyed spending time with her coworkers and reading. She had read almost every book in the library. To no one's surprise she enjoyed the transfiguration books the most. Snape liked to experiment with magic in his free time. He had invented many new spells, charms and potions. He had found ways to make potion making easier and a way to speed up the process on long brewing potions. He never did share his genius with anyone but his coworkers at their meals together. Sinistra like to stare up at the night sky and ponder what could be up there. She would write these pondering so down in story form and create amazing adventures. The only person she'd let read them was McGonagall who quite enjoyed her stories. Pomfrey spent most of her time with her daughter. Hooch lied to fly on her broom around the Quidditch pitch and relive her younger years on the Hufflepuff team. Some days McGonagall would join her but other days she flew alone. Trewlany spent her time watching the sunset and rise. Today she was out in her balcony watching Hooch fly around lost in her own thoughts.

Trelawny took a deep breath and sipped her tea happily floating in her thoughts. A loud crack rings her ears cutting her out her thoughts. She opens her eyes and sees a green beam of light go up from the Quidditch pitch and strike Hooch causing her to fall to the earth from very high up.

Trewlany watches her friend fall to try ground and heard a sickening thud. She jumps fm her chair and races from her tower. She could hear her heart pounding in her ears as she prayed Hooch was still alive. She felt herself crawling down the ladder from her tower. As soon as her feet hit the ground below she took off running down the corridor. She raced around the corner not seeing McGonagall coming the other way. Trelawny slammed into the older woman causing them both to go tumbling to the ground.

"I'm so sorry Minerva." Trelawny said helping the professor up.

As soon as Trelawny got McGonagall back to her feet she tried to take off running again but McGonagall caught her.

"What's wrong Sybil?" asked McGonagall.

"I saw Rolanda get knocked off her broom by a dark spell from a very high altitude!" Trewlany said still trying to get away.

"How many times do we have to go over this, Sybil?" McGonagall said with an annoyed tone. "Water or tea is does not tell someone's fate. I'm sure Rolanda is fine."

"I didn't see her fall in water. I saw her fall from the balcony!" Trelawny yelled as she pushed away from McGonagall and took off running to the pitch.

McGonagall snapped into her sense and quickly followed Trelawny out to the pitch. Both women burst on yo to the field and starting looking for their friend. They saw a pile of black in the middle of the field by a fallen broom. Both women raced toward the pile and as they got the closer it got clearer that the pile was Hooch.

McGonagall drops to the ground beside her fallen friend who was laying with her face to the ground.

Gently McGonagall turned Hooch over. She had blood flowing from her nose. Her skin was deathly pale. Her eyes that were once a vibrant blue was fading into a dull gray. Blood soaked her robes. Her chest just barely registering the small breathes she was struggling to take. McGonagall scoops up her fallen friend who as she came up from the ground fell limp. Her arm fell into an unnatural position. Her leg was broken so badly her femur was broken into two pieces.

McGonagall ran as fast as she could to the hospital wing with Trelawny right behind her. She was praying as she ran that her friend would hang on. She burst in the door of the wing.

"POPPY!" she screamed.

Pomfrey came running around the corner to see McGonagall holding a broken Hooch.

Taking action she got Hooch onto a bed and pushed McGonagall and Trelawny outside.

As soon as they were out the door McGonagall started asking questions.

"What did you see exactly?" She asks her younger coworker.

"I don't know. I was watching her fly around and then I saw a green spell fly into the air striking Rolanda. Then she fell so far." Trelawny replied shakily.

McGonagall simply nodded and took her shaking friend to her office.

Several hours later Madam Pomfrey let them back in the ward.

"Whoever did this to her charmed her injuries so that they are extremely difficult to heal. I do not think that she needs to go to St. Mungo's yet but if her injuries get worse she will." Pomfrey tells them.

They look over at Hooch who was laying in a bed with her leg propped up wrapped in thick bandages and her arm in a thick cast. Her neck was resting in neck brace that made her look so small. Sweat puddled on her dead which Pomfrey gently wiped off.

"She's in a lot of pain right now. I gave her potion to help with her breathing but I cannot do a lot for the pain."

Hooch shrieked out in pain breaking the silence. Her unbroken arm was burning like acid was poured on it and it said only a single word.

Authority

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	2. Dinner

Just after her surge of pain Hooch was transferred to St Mungo's. By then the news had spread to all the teachers about the attack. That night at dinner the mood was still.

Normally meals were lively times among the teachers. They would often get in loud debates over Quidditch, students, potions or anything that was the topic of debate that night. They lamest always ended with food flying, someone saying spells but it all ended quickly when McGonagall stepped in. McGonagall was the mother of the group. She always made sure everyone was eating enough as sometimes Trelawny wouldn't eat as much as she should. She are sure they all minded their manners and acted like civilized adults when it was needed. Everyone respected her and listened to what she told them to do. That particular evening they were adding a new addition to the teacher's table.

She arrives shortly before supper. She was a small woman who wore bright pink garments and had her short hair up in a neat pile on top her head. She had a pump figure but by no means was jolly. Her feet were held in shiny black buttoned shoes. Stepping into the great hall she took note of what was around her.

The room that was normally stocked with long tables in straight rows headed by another long table that was the teacher's table. The room now was a simple small room with a single table surrounded by chairs. In them was the staff of Hogwarts. All but two of the chairs were filled. McGonagall upon spotting the women drew up another chair for her and invited her to sit down.

The women politely accepted taking a seat by the Transfiguration professor and the Astronomy professor. Kindly she introduced herself to everyone.

"Good evening everyone. I am Cynthia Carmichael. The ministry has appointment me as the new High Inquisitor. I understand that your last experience with a high Inquisitor did not go well. I also understand I look similar to my predecessor. I just happen to like pink" she said earning a chuckle from the staff members. " I want to make it clear that I have no intention of enforcing my predecessor's policies but I do intend to have policies of my own. I do not intended to overpower the headmaster but the ministry believe that the burden of making choices for entire school and keeping order at the same time is too much for one person to bear and they believe that having the that power split among two people will help run things smoother. I would like reiterate that I do not wish to over power the headmaster. I am simply here to help keep Hogwarts' walls standing. I do look forward to working with all of you."

"Thank you Ms. Carmichael." McGonagall said. "I would like to remind my fellow teachers that we are going to keep an open mind about our new addition to our team "

All the teachers knew to listen to McGonagall or the consequences would not be good.

"On another note I'm sure you have all heard about Rolanda's attack." She said. The others gave a quiet nod. "Whoever attacked is still at large and we do not know if they are done attacking. For the time being we all must on high alert and during the night no one goes out without someone with them."

"But we're adults not students. You have no authority over us." Flich grumped.

"Yes Argus we are all adults and I have no authority over you but it is not safe to be out after dark and to prevent anyone attacks we must stay together. The chances of being attacked are much slimmer in pairs so.." She said towering over him. "I suggest you listen to me or you'll be sharing a room with Rolanda."

Flich turns beat red and goes back to his food.

The rest of supper went by quickly and the staff began pairing up.

"Argus you and Rubeus go together towards your huts." McGonagall instructed.

The groundskeeper and the castle keeper headed out the door Flich grumbling the whole way out.

"Filius, you and Pomona head toward your chambers. Irma, Poppy you two go together. Sybil you and Severus go toward your tower and his chambers together." McGonagall instructed.

Finally McGonagall had paired up all her coworkers and it was just her and Carmichael left. The two women head toward Carmichael's office.

"Can I ask you something?" Carmichael asks.

"Of course." Said McGonagall.

"Why is Argus so hostile?"

"Normally he isn't like this but you see he had quite the crush on our last high Inquisitor. It was quite obvious among the teachers." McGonagall says.

Meanwhile Snape and Trelawney were walking down a corridor and a the sound of footsteps get their attention. Instinctively Snape pulls his wand and pushes Trelawny behind him. He looks down the dark hallway that was lit by lanterns. Something was off. Something was following them. A cold gust of wind blew down the hallway causing the lanterns to cease to glow. Snape pulled Trelawney close to him with every intention of protecting her. A black figure raced past them.

"Run!" Snape yelled.

Both professors took off in a sprint down the dark hallway. The pitch black surrounded them as they ran. Trelawny trips over an obstacle Causing her to smash into the stone floor scratching up her knees as she fell. Snape acting quickly pulls her up and continues to run until he saw light at the end of the long hallway. Running as fast as he could he pushes himself through his bursting lungs and dove into the light.

The footsteps behind him shopped and faded away.

"We made it." He said as gasped for air. "We did it."

Instead of a response he got silence. He realized that Trelawny was it with him.

"Sybil?" He asked to the dark hallway.

Nothing

"Sybil?!" He said louder with a slight hint of panic.

No answer.

He raises his wand. "Lumos."

In a clash of bright white light a figure jumps from the shadows and took Snape down in one swift motion. Stunned by the blow he dropped his wand.

A flash of red hot pain hits him.

"Ahhh!" He shrieked as the spell hit him.

His heart pounding he scrambles for his wand but he could not find it in the darkness. Crawling he feels along the floor for his wand. Another spells hit him like a brick wall.

That did it Snape drops floor barely hanging onto consciousness. Before the world fades out completely he hears one last spell echo in the hall.

"Sectumsempra!"

The caster of the spell raced down the corridor and knelt by Snape quickly healing the bloody wound that had formed bearing only one word.

Authority.


	3. Two Empty Chairs

Chapter 3: Two empty chairs.

Minerva McGonagall was not afraid of many things. Only a few times in her life could she remember being afraid. The first memory she had of being afraid was when she was fifteen years old dangling from a broom after a buldger had knocked her off and she was trying to get back on. A buldger had struck the back of her head and everything went dark. The second instance was afraid was when in 1943 when the chamber of secrets was opened. Those were the only times she was truly afraid.

Now she was more afraid than she had ever been before. More afraid than being fifteen and falling off her broom. More than when the chamber of secrets had been opened. Her coworkers, her colleagues, her friends were being hunted down. She was afraid every knock on her door was someone coming to tell her that another one of friends had been attacked. The feeling that had gone through her when she held Hooch's broken body was lingering and she couldn't shake it nor could she put a finger on what the feeling was. Whoever was doing this wanted her friends to hurt and she couldn't bare thinking about it.

These thoughts had bounced around her head while she was on her way to the medical ward. She was pulled out of them when Flitwick caught up to her.

"Hello Minerva." He says. "Do you have a minute?'

She follows him to his classroom where Hooch's broom was in two pieces on his work station.

"Hagrid found it on the pitch." Was all he could get out.

They both knew the broom meant a great deal to the flying instructor. She had gotten it after her first championship quidditch game. It was her favorite thing in the world. She could spend hours out on her broom just soaring through the air going to a different place just enjoying the wind in her face. She would be out on her broom rain or shine going into her special place. Even after the times she would fall off and sometimes injure herself she would be eager to get back on.

Now those days of just her and her broom were over. The broom had been magically broken and the thought of repair was pretty much out of the question.

McGonagall looked at the broom pieces in front of her a good long time before saying.

"Hold onto it for right now. Let her get better before telling her."

The two professors quietly go to the great hall where the rest of their coworkers were waiting. Two empty chairs sat at the table. One on the right of Pomfrey where Hooch normally sat and shared stories with the rest of the group. Her favorite person to tell stories to was the woman next to her. It was no secret that the flying instructor was the mediwitch's best friend. Right then the mediwitch was staring at her plate longing to hear a quidditch story from the enthusiastic flying instructor. Instead her best friend was laying in pain in a bed at St Mungo's.

The other empty chair was to the left of Dumbledore. Its normal occupant a potion master. Normally Snape didn't talk as much as his coworkers but he was brilliant. He would constantly be creating new potions or spells. He didn't mind not talking he was content with just listening. Now he was the hospital ward unconscious on a bed.

The meal was quiet. No one knew what to say. Everyone just stared at their plates of food. With a sigh McGonagall turns to Trelawny who was shaking.

"Sybil, Are you alright?" She asks the seer

Before she could answer a cloud of black smoke rushed into the room and started reeking havoc on everything and everyone.

McGonagall pulls her wand but couldn't see anything. The screams of her friends pounded against her eardrums. She couldn't remember being so scared in her life. Her heart pounded in her ears as spells started to fly. Beams of light were seen in the smoke as the screaming continued. She didn't remember when she started throwing spells she just remembered the smoke blinding her.

Then the screaming stopped. The smoke cleared away. McGonagall's heart broke at the sight of it. Furniture was broken and everywhere. Her coworkers were on the ground. Some standing up and dusting off.

A blood curdling scream echoed from a corner of the room.

"No! Wake up! Wake up!"

Flitwick was on his knees by Sprout who was covered in blood. She was in bad shape. Blood coated her dirty greenhouse robes and was pouring out of her chest. Engraved into her skin read.

Authority.

"No, you can't die!" He yells. "Poppy!"

The mediwitch kneels beside the fallen professor and got to work.

"Don't you die on me." He whsipers to her.

He takes her hand.

"I love you."


End file.
